Monday, March 7, 2011

It's becoming clearer now . . .

If there was any doubt to my stupidity before . . . I believe I have laid that to rest!  So much data . . . all pointing to the same conclusion!  Me finishing a 100 miles is just plain stupid.

I chose to do my weekend's long run on Sunday.  Saturday was a nice day in eastern NC, but on Sunday we had two separate 'frog-choker' storms.  The first hit about 10 am and lasted an hour or so.  The second was much stronger, started about 1 pm and lasted maybe  1 1/2 hours . . . but much, much more rain!

Temps were nice, but my feet were wet all day long!  At one point I even convinced myself it was 'fun' splashing through the puddles  . . . but after maybe 10+ miles of splashing, it just got to be a little old.  Even for someone as mentally challenged as me!

For this run I had no route in mind at all!  It was fun for me!  Just heading out running with no preconceived notion of a route!  Just run (okay . . . run and walk!) and turn anywhere I decide.  Made for an interesting route.  I really did love that!  All I needed to do was to end up at my car when I was done!

I carried my Nathan backpack with fluids, gels, a candy bar, some hygiene items, my cell phone and my debit card!  By running in Rocky Mount instead at Gaston Lake, I was never too far from a store!  Just duck in (no pun intended!) and get what I needed!  Probably not a time efficient approach, but it worked . . . and I sure can't do that at the lake!

Arthur Bennett joined me for the first 8 miles.  Really enjoyed catching up with Arthur again.  Nice to have someone to talk with . . . a pleasure I rarely ever get!

I used this run to experiment with some possible equipment changes I'm considering:
  • Tried some new socks (Drymax Max Protection).  No blisters even with the heavy rains . . . but I rarely get blisters anyway.  I liked the socks.
  • Used SportShield rather than Bodyglide.  Hard to tell on this one.  I did get some chafing, but with all the rain, I likely would have chafed with Bodyglide or anything else.  Still . . . the jury is still out on this one.
  • Desitin is FANTASTIC!  If you don't understand the problem . . . well . . . talk to me about it sometime.  But believe me that this is the solution!!
  • I HATE the new Mizumo Wave Rider 14.  They just MUST have changed something besides the colors!  Just seems stiffer or something somehow.  Still, no blisters or foot problems so I guess I shouldn't complain much.  But I'm going to find some Wave Rider 13s and buy several pairs!
In spite of the rain, my 35.5 miles went fairly well, all things considered.  I was definitely tired at the end, but I did feel like I could have continued to 40-50 miles if needed.  My pace really slowed near the end.  Overall, I averaged a 16:00 minute per mile pace including all stops.  But the last 5 miles (except the last mile) were really slow.

When you talk about averages I remember what my first boss told me, "Once my left foot was in a bucket of ice and my right foot was in a bucket of boiling water . . . on the average I felt pretty good!"

And that's the way it was for me yesterday . . . up until about 25 miles I did okay but then started to slow and I walked pretty much from 30 to 34.5.  The last mile I did pick it up and finished relatively strong for me,

So . . . with this as my long run, I can imagine completing 5 Umstead laps (62 1/2 miles) before totally dying.  But a full 8 laps?  To hell with the 30 hour time limit, I don't see how I can keep going that far at all!  It's just plain stupid to think I have a chance to actually do this.

But I guess the real challenge at least for me is to just see how far I can get!

I loved Tom Herbst's comment on my last blog entry:


"Wrong frame of mind. Your goal is to see how many cheeseburger halves you can eat, how many times you can get passed by Serge (or Jonathan Savage, or whoever), how many times you can pee on a loop - ANYTHING but the mileage. That way lies doom......."

Tom . . . I'm listening!

7 comments:

  1. Just stay upright on your feet for longer periods of time, a step at a time. Your mind will wrap around it and your body won't have a choice!

    The mind leads, the body follows to go ahead and act as if your ideal reality already exists.

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  2. Frank, Sean is right here. At Umstead you are going to get through 1 1/2 to 2 laps and wonder where the time has gone so quickly. The early couple of laps at Umstead is a party atmosphere. You are busy talking to this person or that person. Talking to people passing you and to those you pass. You are meeting new people and seeing friends, so before you know it you have 25 miles under your belt. After that you just sort of begin to zone out, still talking but not as much. From miles 50 to 75, you just try to stay controlled. Walk the hills, run the downhills and run as much of the flats as you can and if necessary take a one minute walk. If you walk the flats, tell yourself if you walk a minute you have to run 10 minutes even though it will be slow. From 75 to 100, you just get down and dirty and hang on. Walk alot, but try to run a minute or two here and there to keep your legs from totally locking up on you. Take your pain killers, cafeine and high calorie drinks. I love the coffee drinks and if it is hot, they are great cold. Keep yourself cool by using ice. I actually have a bandana that is sewed and can hold ice. I use bag balm on my feet and no blister issues even in the rain. Tammy will be there and will help you in anyway needed. Oh, use powder stick deoderant. Much better than SportShield or Bodyglide and much cheaper.

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  3. I know what the problem is. You only had gels and candy bars with you. At Umstead there will be cheeseburgers and hot dogs and pizzas and mt. dew. Those food are mile multipliers. So essentially by eating a burger at AS 1 and a hot dog at AS on every lap and drink Mt. Dew, the same effort for 62.5 miles will produce 100.

    Now make sure you stay away from burritos. I found out first hand on Saturday that burritos are negative mile multipliers.

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  4. Very much agree with Tom H, count anything but miles. Counting hot chicks is my favorite - but cheeseburgers are up there too! Tho' I would be surprised if we are counted by the aforementioned hot chicks as their motivation.

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  5. @Rick - You are blowing my mind! So much into. And I have so many questions. E-mail me at frank dot lilley at rbc dot com. I need more direct info!

    @Jim - I'm lovin' your mile multiplier theory! Is it all Mexican foods I need to stay away from . . . or just burritos? Need input fast!!

    @Sean - I'm 'King' of the 'time on foot' being DFL in virtually every race I enter! Do I get extra credit fot a DFL??

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  6. Remember my t-shirt wisdom from yesterday....

    DFL > DNF > DNS

    You CAN do this! I know you can! And I can't wait to hear all about your adventure afterwards.

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  7. Listen to Amber. She is a wise friend!

    ReplyDelete

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Littleton, North Carolina
World's Slowest Runner . . . well, at least in contention for the honor. Just your average "below average" runner.

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